Pomodoros in the Time of Corona

Lots of time to paint in the Time of Corona

The pomodoro comes to the rescue.

I am craving structure. I am used to filling my days with appointments. I go to pickleball, do yoga, play mahjong, and meet up with friends. But things have radically changed for all of us. With the corona virus popping up all over the country, we have been asked to stay away from people and especially gatherings. Thank goodness for the internet. I am drawn to all the social interaction it affords, more than ever. My Facebook has some funny memes, or maybe a bit pitiful, pictures of carts at the checkout stand with toilet paper piled high. Why? I get it. When Dave and I travelled in Mexico in the 70s there were some towns that did not have toilet paper. It was super inconvenient. So we learned to carry a roll in our backpacks for times like those. I know you can get by without it, but I tell you people, it is not fun.

So today I am faced with an unbounded amount of time to fill as I sit nestled into my city apartment. I went shopping a few days ago and have plenty food for the long haul. There is nothing more to do. We flew home early from Florida. My heart is a bit ripped out from having to say good-bye to my daughter Kiona and Raj and Lia and Jai too soon and for not being able to see their annual play, which was cancelled anyway.

I know that all of us are suffering from cancelled plans and loss of fun interactions.

So here I am and thinking what shall I do with this time that has been freed up. I decided to make it a time of learning, eating well, and getting out for hikes. Here are my ideas: Study Photoshop, study and learn how to do effective Facebook ads for Times Alive, it is a good time to promote our online learning program with kids home from school, watch water color painting videos, play the ukulele, read some good books, write in my current memoir project, and work on the skillshare class I am putting together: How to Write a Memoir in Ten Easy Steps.

So this is a lot of stuff, and if I think about doing it all at once, I get an overwhelmed feeling of anxiety, what??? Why not pick one and focus on that.

Well—here’s why I can do it all. I love the concept of preplanned chunks of time. It reminds me of when I went to school and went from class to class. It gives me a feeling of doing everything at once and I love the variety and the feeling of getting ‘er done. And, I love the structure.

Several years ago, while I was attending the San Miguel Literary Festival, a workshop for writers in Mexico, I learned about the pomodoro technique and I have been using it ever since. It is a timing trick that helps you increase productivity, focus, and overcome blocks. The pomodoro technique gets its name from the kitchen timer that is in the shape of a tomato, pomodoro, being tomato in Italian. A pomodoro is a chunk of time, I use 30 minutes, but you can use any time you like best. You pre-plan your work day and then break it into numbered chunks. You set the timer. When thirty minutes are up, you take a five minute break. I like to meditate, do yoga, or go out in the garden. You can pick any rejuvenating activity. But you don’t use the five minutes to answer email or a phone call. It is reflection time. After you have completed a pomodoro, you put a checkmark next to that task, take your five minute break and then proceed. After four pomodoros, you can take a 25-30 minute break.

Three Benefits of the Pomodoro:

1. It is easier to get started when you know it is only a 30 minute chunk to which you are committing.

2. When the timer goes off you wrap up and stop to rejuvenate. This break brings you back to work with fresh eyes. Have you ever been working on a problem and can’t find the answer, then you give up and do something else? When you return, the inspiration for solving the problem just appears? Sometimes staring at the same thing gets you stuck in a rut and you can’t see the forest for the trees. The break is a crucial part to freshening your outlook on your work.

3. Setting up your chunks of work, takes all the decision making out of what-to-do-next during your work day. It brings focus. Preplanning gives you a sense of control and you don’t have to worry if you should be doing something else. You just proceed according to your predetermined list. It’s easy to put those odious tasks on your list and when you get to it, you just do it and plow ahead —for it is only for thirty minutes. This is a huge productivity boost. If you have not completed the task when the timer goes off, you take your five minute break and you can decide to spend another pomodoro on that task before moving ahead to the next item.

I found a good, free app on the Apple Store: it is called: Tomato Timer.

pomodoro app called tomato timer

The Tomato Timer is simple and lets you vary your pomodoro times, shows you graphically how far you are into it by displaying a circle that loses its white filling as time passes. It dings when it is time for a break. And then gives you a 5 minute timer. You can start and pause both timers when needed.

Here is a picture of my pomodoro schedule. I am using Mind Manager to lay it out.

So I am on day three of my new Pomodoros in the Time of Corona. I have the illusion that I am in control and I have already learned some amazing tips about doing Facebook Ads and hiked at Lebanon Hills and Hyland Park Reserve, through ponds and forests and even got to watch the cross country skiers glide by. Yes! they make snow for the trails. Stay safe out there everyone. It’s kind of cool to have the opportunity to re-assess routine and slice in some creative diversions. I can’t wait till we can gather again.